Mountaineers hiking their way to all Seattle libraries

They'd rather be hiking in the mountains, but a group of 17 Seattle Mountaineers decided to celebrate the completion of the city's library campaign by walking to each library, getting their new library passports stamped.

"I love libraries and this is a natural," said Kathy Biever, who works for Seattle Public Libraries and led Friday's "Lively Library Hike."

"And I love to hike," she said.

The group began the series of hikes Oct. 9 when it hiked to all five libraries in West Seattle, 9.2 miles. Friday they hiked from the Rainier Beach Library to NewHolly, Columbia, Beacon Hill and the International District libraries, or about 7.4 miles.

Biever said she hopes to complete the citywide library hike Dec. 4, starting at the Montlake Library and ending at downtown Seattle's flagship facility.

She said the total hike to all the libraries is 45.8 miles.

The hikers are part of the Mountaineers midweek hikers club, which discovers parts of the city many had never seen before. Only Mountaineers and their guests can join in the library hikes.

"I'd rather be in the mountains, but what else can you do in November?" said Joe Toynbee, an organizer of the hikes. He said the hikers are mostly retired people, most in their 60s and 70s. Toynbee has been a Mountaineer for 42 years.

Marcus Duyzend, 24, was the youngest in the group. "I like to see some of the neighborhoods and I like walking," he said. "This provides good exercise, so why not do it?"

To celebrate completion of the 27 new and remodeled branches of the public library, the library created a "library passport," which visitors can have stamped at each branch with stamps unique to the individual library.

The idea came from two library patrons, Marsha Donaldson and her husband, Bill Ferris, who traveled to each library and thought it would be nice to have a stamp commemorating the completion of the "Libraries for All" project.

Louise Mihay took a bus from Olympia to join the library hike. "This gives me a chance to see Seattle," she said, vowing to complete the 27-library walk.

Biever said she mapped out the route by driving it with her husband, taking notes, mapping it on the Internet and then walking it herself last weekend.

The longest hike she plans is an 11.8-mile walk between the Magnolia, Queen Anne, Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake, Greenwood and Ballard branches, slated for Nov. 20.

Biever poses all the walkers for a picture in front of each library.

Nancy Ross-Bruels said the hike is a social outing and she really wanted to see all the new libraries. Mary Lou Krause said she doesn't own a car, so she walks around the city. "This is our trailhead, Rainier Beach. Plus I love the libraries."

If library patrons can get all 27 library stamps by Jan. 2, they will be entered into a drawing for a book lover's basket.

The library reports it has received 50 completed passport books.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com